


The Bells are Ringing

by vangoghingtohell



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Disease, M/M, Otayuri angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-25 00:11:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9793841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vangoghingtohell/pseuds/vangoghingtohell
Summary: *BREAKING NEWS: A strain of the virus 42-Sigma, otherwise known as Deathbell’s Disease, has reached the Russian city of St Petersburg.*





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so basically I finished schoolwork early and I decided to reward myself with some good old angst.

*BREAKING NEWS: A strain of the virus 42-Sigma, otherwise known as Deathbell’s Disease, has reached the Russian city of St Petersburg. Travel in and out of the city is now being sanctioned and is not advised. A reminder to all citizens within affected cities to take extreme care whilst moving within the region. Take care to avoid further spread of the disease.*

\--

They had been in St Petersburg for two months when it had happened. 42-Sigma had been taking hold in lesser developed countries for almost a year, but no one had expected it to reach cities like New York, or Paris, or Singapore.

Deathbell’s was what they called it, named after the bells that the churches tolled when those who were suffering began to die. It had swept through some of the biggest and most powerful cities in the world, bringing them to their knees. The only place that was truly safe was the British Isles, who had quarantined themselves almost ten months ago, just as Deathbell’s cold fingers stretched into the developed world.

That was where Viktor and Yuuri were. Safe. Together. And Otabek was here, in their apartment, alone. It hadn’t always been like this. A month ago, he had been living happily with Yurio in this godforsaken city, in Viktor’s apartment, seeing as the two weren’t coming back anytime soon. His life had been a whirl of walks through the picturesque city, dates in the many small cafes and markets, bliss. Pure, ignorant, bliss.

Then, a week ago, Yuri caught a cold. No one thought anything of it and it went away. People got colds all the time, right? But then again, he reasoned, normal colds don’t leave you immobilised on the couch for a solid two days. Not even a day after the cold mysteriously vanished, they had found themselves in the glare of hospital lights, Yurio sitting in bed shivering and overheating simultaneously.

It was Deathbell’s, they said. He could still beat it, they said. Everything would be okay, they said.

\--

‘Hey, soldier.”

Yuri stirred in his bed. “W-who is it?” He reached a hand into his long hair.

“Just me, Yura. How’re you doing?”

“Worse than yesterday, definitely better than tomorrow.” Otabek stifled a laugh that bubbled up from nowhere. Even in a hospital bed, Yuri’s fire still burnt brightly.

\--

It had been only been a week since Otabek skated, but it felt like an eternity. He flubbed all of his quads, and even his triples. It was pathetic to watch, and eventually his coach had let him off early and told him to go fix whatever it was that was affecting his skating. If only it were that easy, just waving away his problems, ignoring them, brushing away the monsters. It had worked for him before, but now Yuri was lying in a hospital bed, heaving for breath, unable to eat or drink, and suffering from a disease that had something like a ninety percent mortality rate.

That night, Yuri managed to call him.

“Come see me Beka, please.”

The desperation in his voice was why Otabek found himself on the streets of St Petersburg at half past twelve, speeding towards the building that served as a symbol of hope to so many, but a symbol of sadness and endless misery for him.

The clouds above the looming hospital parted, and a few rays of moonlight found their way down to the building, glinting off the sign that hung from the walls as Otabek parked his bike outside.

\--

“You look great.” Yuri’s deadpan voice was the only sound to be heard in the rooms, aside from the purring of the machines that supported him, and the beeping of the heart rate monitor.

“Hello to you too.” Otabek sat down, in his mask and gloves, a meter away from the bed as instructed.

“Are you okay? Why’d you need me now? Is something wrong?”

“I was just lonely. I love you, Beka.”

“I love you too, Yuri.”

Otabek watched as Yuri fell asleep. He loved the way Yuri’s hair fell across his face as he slept, the way his chest rose and fell through his laboured breathing. He loved everything about Yuri, and he wasn’t ready to lose him.

\--

When he woke, there were doctors surrounding Yuri’s bed. Yuri was heaving and retching. He jumped out of his chair and ran to the bed, ignoring the protests of the coat-clad doctors and grasping Yuri’s outstretched hand. Yuri grippe it as if were his lifeline. Through the mass of hair plastered to his face from the sweat, Otabek could see Yuri’s eyes. Even now, through the helpless fear that they held, he could see the eyes of the soldier he had met so long ago, on that day in Barcelona. The same eyes from that day at the ballet studio.

He pulled the ring from his pocket and slipped it onto Yuri’s finger. Yuri’s eyes widened and he saw he tiniest flicker of joy as he calmed for a moment. A feeble hand took the other ring from his hand and slipped it onto his finger, trembling.

Once again, Yuri gripped his hand, their new rings glinting in the glare of the fluorescent light. The shaking began again, but stronger, more frenzied.

He saw Yuri take one last breath, heaving more than he thought someone as small as Yuri could. He felt Yuri’s grip on his hand slacken, and he saw the light in his soldier’s eyes one last time as they flickered shut. He heard the heart rate monitor switch from the high pitched and frenzied beeping to a monotonous, unending note. The Deathbells were ringing.

He leant forward and kissed Yuri one last time. He was still warm. It was almost like he was sleeping, he looked so much more peaceful than Beka had seen him in eternities.

“Goodbye, Yura, my soldier.”

As he looked at Yuri, he brushed his ring to his lips. And then Otabek began to cough.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Why do I enjoy angst so much it only brings me tears and pain rip. Feel free to comment or leave Kudos, or just leave, or anything really, I can't force you.


End file.
